A Perfect Weekend
by Demetra83
Summary: My own story "Le temps d'une weekend" translated by aliceanjee / AU : Sam is injured and Jack thinks of their lives... Forget everything you know about the two of them ;) / Updates on Wednesday and Friday
1. Accident

_A big thank you to aliceanjee for translating this story ;)_

_Hope you'll enjoy this as much as I was happy to write it !_

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**Chapter 1 – Accident**

Hearing his footsteps pounding the floor, Doctor Brightman faced Teal'c as he markedly entered the infirmary. She suddenly dropped the file she was holding, and all looked at her when it crashed loudly.

"Put her on the nearest bed!" She directed her shout towards Teal'c. The medical team gathered around the bed while the Jaffa stepped back so that they could work. Beeps soon resonated in the sterile air, and the doctor listened to Lt Colonel Samantha Carter's heartbeat via her stethoscope.

"Was she conscious when you found her?"

"No she was not. She moaned as I arrived and attempted to open her eyes but lost consciousness again straight away. She did not speak when I lifted her up."

The doctor requested a nurse to contact the general. He reported to the infirmary, smirking. Unaware of what was going on, he quipped:

"So, who's it gonna be today? With the big boom I heard ten minutes ago, I bet it's Felger, huh Teal'c?"

The latter kept a solemn face, although he did put his hand on his friend's shoulder. General Jack O'Neill lost his smile instantaneously.

"Teal'c... no... please don't tell me she's..." he said desperately.

"She is alive but..." Teal'c started.

"She's unconscious," Brightman explained. "She has a huge bump on the back of her head and I don't want to do an MRI. I will use the portable x-ray machine instead so as to ensure she only endures minimal radiation."

Jack nodded and asked to see his second-in-command. A nurse led him towards a secluded part of the infirmary and pulled the curtain open. There she was, pale as a corpse, her features peaceful despite her apparent fatigue. He wondered whether she slept enough, even though she'd say she did whenever he asked. He was her CO, for crying out loud, he should have paid more attention! He ensured a call got through to his aide, Walter, so that his daily meetings and briefings were cancelled, then asked him to retrieve a telephone number and postal address.

Jack grabbed a chair to settle in, waiting for Sam to wake up. He knew she'd be comforted to know he was here, as was the norm after each sojourn in the infirmary. Teal'c stood behind him, hands folded behind his back as usual.

"Teal'c, do you know what happened?"

"I understand she was working on an explosive device laced with Naquadah. I left to retrieve a few items she required and was on my way back when I heard the explosion. I ran towards her lab to find out what transpired and found her lying on the ground. I cried her name and she moaned; I believe she wanted to open her eyes but her head rolled sideways. I hastened to the best of my ability so that she could be seen by medical personnel in a timely manner."

"Thank you, my friend."

Teal'c knew the General was much more worried than it appeared at first glance. Walter came back and advised Jack the President was waiting for him on line two.

"The information you requested is on your desk, Sir" the man said.

Jack nodded his thanks and left the infirmary. Teal'c would stay by Sam's side and let him know as soon as she woke up. He had a mountain to lead, and even though he was worried about her, he could not abandon his duties.

His conversation with his superior was brief. As a face-to-face meeting with the Joint Chiefs was already planned for the following week, they only had to check everyone's diary to agree on a day and time. Jack did his best to report the meeting by another week, but to no avail.

"General, I know you hate these meetings, but you are being much more reluctant than usual this time. What's the matter?"

"There was an accident in Col Carter's lab today. She's unconscious and the doctors don't know how serious her state is."

"I see. And what does her husband think of all of this?"

"I don't have time for this!..."

"Very well, keep me appraised as to how she fares, but I am counting on seeing you at the meeting next week, General!"

"Yes Sir!"

Jack hung up. He rested his forehead on his folded hands and exhaled deeply. He filed away his completed outstanding files and checked with Walter what teams remained off-world, before ordering all trips through the 'Gate he deemed non-essential be suspended. He joined Teal'c at the infirmary at the end of the day.

"No change?" he asked.

"None, but the doctor completed the x-rays, you should perhaps ask her what she thinks," Teal'c suggested.

Jack knocked at Dr Brightman's office door, and she invited him to sit down at her desk.

"I have the x-ray results, Sir. Col Carter has an important subdural haematoma. I will keep monitoring her status, but if it doesn't improve rapidly, I will have to drain the blood, and in a more extreme instance possibly have a neurosurgeon fly in for an operation."

"I didn't think it would be this serious..."

"I have actually no idea, I'm simply giving you all the available options; but I honestly don't think it'll go this far."


	2. The awakening

_Once again, thanks to my wonderful aliceanjee for this perfect translation :)_

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**Chapter 2 – The awakening**

Jack spent the night by his second-in-command's bedside, just in case she'd come to, but she was still unconscious when a new day dawned. Nurses had jotted down Sam's vitals and checked her IVs regularly throughout the night.

Doctor Brightman checked on her patient and took the opportunity to shoo the General out and order him to freshen up and have something to eat; Teal'c standing vigil in his absence. Jack stopped by the mess after his shower to grab a bowl of blue Jell'O for Sam and a donut for himself. He forced himself not to run through the corridors as he was already the involuntary recipient of many a pitiful glance from his men. It is a truth universally recognised that Jack O'Neill is quite close to his right-hand man, Samantha Carter; rumour has it they are having a possible affair, but neither party ever bothered to confirm or deny the statement. It was the last thing they'd think of, they were better off ignoring it to avoid fuelling the fire. They knew what they meant to each other, and that was enough. Well, up until that day, that is; the young woman's state was causing him great distress at the moment. He shook his head to ward off the gloomy thoughts and made his way towards the infirmary. He entered, and two crystal blue eyes met his coffee brown ones. His heart skipped a beat when he realised she finally opened her eyes while he was away.

"Hail Dorothy!" he smiled, paraphrasing 'The Wizard of Oz'.

"Good morning Sir." Sam's return smile was wobbly.

"So, how's it going?"

"I, erm... alright, I think," she said, lowering her gaze. Jack did not know what was going on in Sam's blonde head, but knowing her as he did, he was sure it was chaos in there. And he was right.

The first thing that came to Sam's mind when she woke up and before opening her eyes was that she had a killer headache; she instinctively knew she was in a hospital as soon as the buzz in the background became audible sounds. She opened her eyes and met the unwavering gaze of a tall black man. He called to someone and a woman in a white lab coat flashed a bright light in her eyes; Sam flinched and tried to turn away, but the doctor did not let her. The woman turned to face another man, probable a nurse as per his uniform, and asked him to fetch the general. A military hospital, Sam thought.

"How are you feeling?"

Sam realised her mouth felt unbearably dry; as did the doctor, evidently, as she spoon-fed her ice chips to soothe her throat. Sam lied back down in her bed and looked at the woman as she answered.

"I have a sore head, otherwise I think I'm okay," she said, wiggling her fingers and toes. Another man, grey-haired, very attractive, and Caucasian this time, just appeared in the infirmary. He had beautiful coffee brown eyes that met her crystal blue ones as she turned her head towards him. After she told him too she was okay, she felt him relax a little; although she found it odd, she kept silent. She noticed a single set of stars on his green BDUs and realised he must be the General, but she was unaware of where this piece of information came from. Did she know military ranks? Maybe she was a military brat, which would explain her presence in a military hospital. She looked at the dark-skinned man, but he wore a plain black t-shirt with no insignia, which made it impossible to determine his rank, should her theory be correct. The lady doctor wore her lab coat over her service blues, her epaulets thus covered as well. The doctor herself, as it were, asked her if she felt up to answering a series of simple questions. Sam nodded her agreement.

"What is today's date? Day of the week?"

"I... I don't know."

"Okay, since you remained unconscious for a few hours, I am not surprised by your being confused. Let's try something easier: what's your name?"

"Dorothy."

Everyone looked at her, faces stunned.

"I am being serious, what is your first name?"

"Is it not Dorothy?" Sam perplexedly asked.

"It's my fault, I made a joke and messed with her head," Jack said, extremely worried again.

Sam felt the tension in the room spike up a notch.

"Who is the president?" asked the doctor.

"The president of what?" questioned Sam.

"The President of the United States."

"I don't know."

Jack cleared his throat to signal the doctor he was getting ready to ask Sam a question himself.

"What is the distance between the Earth and the Sun?"

"149,597,870.7 kilometres or 92,955,807 miles."

"That's enough for today," the doctor said, as she realised Sam's desperate look meant she was on the verge of bursting into tears. "Gentlemen, I'd like to see you outside for a moment please."

Jack did not look like he was going to leave until Teal'c firmly nudged him out. Before going into the corridor, Jack faced Sam one more time.

"I'll be right back."

"Yes... General," Sam answered, unsure as to whether she had to call him Sir or just use his rank.

Jack gave a resigned nod, barely remarkable.


	3. Janet

**Chapter 3 – Janet**

"Her amnesia is not surprising, due to the trauma to her head; she obviously has all her wits about her too. As far as her memories are concerned, they should come back slowly, but she must not be rushed, nor should she be given any shocking news. Her mind has to work on its own." The doctor was talking to them in the corridor.

"What about her haematoma?"

"I'll do another x-ray during tomorrow afternoon's check-up to ensure it hasn't grown, as long as she exhibits no other symptoms until then. I don't want her unduly stressed."

Jack nodded and went back into the room Sam was settled in. He previously had deposited the bowl of Jell'O on a hospital tray, which he now slid towards Sam.

"Here you go, you should eat something."

"Thank you, erm... how should I call you?"

"Sir or general are the correct forms of address in use, but you can do as you please, I won't hold it against you."

"Alright then, thank you Sir," smiled Sam.

Quite surprisingly, when she smiled at him and he smiled back, she felt better, much less lost.

"We do know each other quite well, don't we?"

"What makes you think so?"

"It looks like you know me, and so does he," said Sam, nodding towards Teal'c. "And you also look like you're worried about me."

"That's right, we do know each other quite well."

"Can you tell me what my first name is then, Sir?"

"It's Samantha."

"Samantha?" Sam was surprised. "It doesn't ring a bell."

"You're usually called Sam though, it may sound more familiar I think."

"Sam... Sam... Yes, it does sound better!" she said.

"As a matter of fact, Sam, I have to take my leave of you for a short while."

"Oh, okay. Why are you telling me this?" asked Sam, trying to hide her disappointment.

From the beginning of their conversation, the general half-sat on her bed, and she did appreciate his masculine, comforting presence.

"'Cause I don't wanna leave you, but I've got duties. I'll be back as soon as I can. Please do try to rest in the meantime, Teal'c will look after you," Jack said, indicating his friend with a casual hand gesture.

Sam fought against a sudden rush of tears; she had no idea why she was so emotional. The man near her did look quite uncomfortable seeing her struggling like this, so she soldiered on and tried to look strong. Jack unwillingly got up. As he was leaving, Sam asked him one last question.

"Sir, would you tell me your first name?"

"Mine's Jack, but you can't use it in front of everyone," he said without looking back.

Sam felt like a block of ice had suddenly dropped on her stomac. She put her hand above it and lifted an eyebrow. She stayed silent, but her mind was reeling.

Jack parked in front of a small house in the suburbs of Colorado Springs; he never did understand why they chose this place, so close to the mountain even as they decided a change in their lives was in order. Okay, it was none of his business whatsoever, as he had been abruptly told, but he couldn't help wondering. As if changing their way of life was possible, what with all they'd been through, for nigh on ten years. He walked along the small path leading to the door, before ringing the doorbell, and waited.

"Jack?"

"Hello Daniel, can I come in?"

Daniel Jackson reluctantly stepped out of the general's way, but was visibly not that thrilled about seeing him. The atmosphere was thick with tension, but the ambiance lightened with Janet's arrival.

"Colonel O'Neill, I'm so glad to see you, how are you?"

Janet invited him to sit down in an armchair while she and Daniel took the sofa.

"It's Brigadier General now, and thanks, I'm good. And you?"

"Congratulations, General! Daniel did mention it, but I didn't have the occasion to congratulate you!"

"I suppose you're not here to talk about your promotion just now, are you?" Daniel asked.

"No I'm not. It's about Sam."

Daniel blanched when he heard the name of his former team-mate.

"What's wrong with her?" Janet cautiously asked.

"Her lab exploded yesterday; she has a sub-something-or-other haematoma, and I want a second opinion. I want YOUR second opinion, Doctor Jackson."

"It's still Fraiser, I kept my maiden name. But it doesn't matter. Is she conscious?"

"She woke up this morning, but..."

Jack passed his hands over his face. Daniel got up and put a soothing hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Jack?"

"She's amnesic! She didn't know what day it was, or her name. She doesn't even remember Teal'c, or me!"

Daniel really seemed sorry for Sam, and so did Janet.

"I know you both wanted to turn your life around, after all the traumatising events you went through, and I respect this, I really do, but I... she needs you!" Jack pleaded.

Daniel and Janet were aware of the feelings Jack and Sam had for one another, even if neither of them would admit to it. They also knew that in order to save Sam, Jack would literally move Cheyenne Mountain, or dial all known coordinates of the Stargate network to find a cure.

"Alright, I'll go see her," Janet said.

"Thank you doctor." Jack was relieved. "I won't keep you any longer, I'll be going."

"Jack? Do you want me to come too?" asked Daniel.

"I think it would do her memories good, but I don't want to impose on you if you don't want to."

"Come on Jack, you perfectly well know Sam's not the issue here."

"I know," Jack sighed.

Just before passing the threshold, Jack paused at the open door and looked back at the couple.

"By the way, I forgot, she's pregnant!"

The door slammed shut.


	4. Sam

_My wonderful Aliceanjee made an amazing job, thanks to her and all of you for reviewing :)_

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** Chapter 4 – Sam**

Sam had reached the same conclusion, but one thing did worry her: was she married? Looking at her hands she could not see the mark of a wedding band. She tried to get up, and the tall man, his name was Teal'c if her memories served her well – pardon the pun, she thought to herself – came to her aid. She was a bit worried about his steely grip, but he was as gentle as he was tall and buff. He took the saline drip with them and accompanied her to the ladies' room, gallantly waiting for her outside. He then helped her back to bed as Sam gave him her thanks. She had felt a ball chain resting against her bare skin, and once she was back to bed tugged on the chain to get it out from under the collar of her hospital gown. They were dog tags; perhaps this was why the general did not want her to call him by his first name.

"You are Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter," Teal'c said looking at her.

"Would you tell me a little more?"

"No, the doctor does not wish for too much of your personal information to be revealed."

"What about your personal information?"

"My name means 'strength' and I am over a hundred years old."

Sam burst into laughter as Jack entered the room.

"I am serious Colonel Carter."

"But you can't be! Unless your cellular development is different from ours due to... due to... that shiny thing on your forehead!"

"I think we'll leave it at that, Carter will most probably remember what and who you are quickly enough," Jack cut in, smiling.

Teal'c understood what Jack was not saying, and simply replied, "Indeed."

"Teal'c, I'd like to talk with Carter for a little while."

The Jaffa stood up and bowed in the young woman's direction before walking away. Jack came closer and sat back on the spot he'd commandeered earlier.

"I asked for another doctor to come and see you."

"Because of the amnesia?"

"No, because of the haematoma," Jack said. Sam distractedly palmed the back of her head, the bump was still huge and sore.

Jack had made arrangements so that Janet and Daniel could enter the SGC with visitors' passes, and they arrived a couple of hours after the general's visit. Everybody greeted them with large smiles as they made their way to the infirmary wing, and deep inside, the couple realised they missed all of it. Jack had informed Brightman of Janet's imminent arrival, which did not seem to make the current Chief Medical Officer very happy with the whole situation. However, Jack was the Commanding Officer of the SGC, he did not need, or want, her opinion on the subject. He did introduce them to each other when Janet reached level 21.

Sam heard Janet's crystalline laugh and she tilted her head towards the sound, as if it were familiar to her. Janet froze on the threshold of the room Sam had just been moved to. Her friend looked distracted, her eyes dimmed, just as if her soul had flown away.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Janet Fraiser," she said, offering her hand to Sam.

"Samantha Carter," Sam replied, shaking the proferred hand.

"I know," smiled Janet.

"Sorry Ma'am," Sam apologised.

"Oh no Sam, please don't apologise, it's perfectly normal. But please call me Janet, alright?"

Sam nodded her agreement and had a quick look behind the doctor. Jack, Teal'c and a bespectacled man were looking at them. Janet asked them to leave the room and close the door behind them.

"Do you want to talk to me about anything in particular?" asked an understanding Janet.

"Are we friends?"

"Yes, we are. You can ask me whatever you want to know about your health. Concerning the rest, I'd rather not upset you."

"I... I think I'm pregnant, but the other doctor didn't tell me anything about it. Are the checks she did dangerous for the baby? Is my child alright?"

Sam started crying. Janet dropped the folder she was holding on the bed and gave Sam a hug. Doctor Brightman was aware of Sam's pregnancy but did not take it into account when liaising with her patient. It was obvious Sam would have realised at some point, as she was already nearly three months along, and would be getting worried.

"The checks she did are of no risk to your unborn child, Sam. Brightman chose not to do an MRI, which is good. She did an x-ray instead, ensuring you'd be shielded from the radiation. I can do an ultrasound if you'd like, just to be sure the baby's OK, but I'm confident everything's fine."

Sam felt relived at Janet's words and let the doctor arrange the ultrasound material around her. She was on cloud nine when Janet showed her the shadow of her unborn child, and when she heard its heartbeat.

"As we are friends, can you tell me who the father is?"

"Well, we haven't made contact in a few months, I was unaware you were pregnant until the g... until I read it in your file."

"Are we estranged?"

"Oh Sam, no, not at all, but it's a bit complicated and I'd rather not make you feel confused with the whole thing, for your own good!"

The woman's friendly smile was so warm and honest that Sam felt completely at ease with Janet, and knew she could trust her.

"Am I married?"

"I don't think so. In any case, if you are, you didn't invite me to the wedding!" Janet laughed.

Sam didn't know why, but she had missed this laugh.


	5. Daniel

**Chapter 5 – Daniel**

Sam's male team-mates, worried, waited in the corridor. Daniel caught a glimpse of the young woman: she had changed quite a bit since he left. He thought her face looked rounder, probably due to her pregnancy causing changes in her physical appearance, and wondered how far along she was. His musings were cut short when Janet exited the room closing the door behind her.

"She's okay. I'd advise to be patient as far as the haematoma goes: if the swelling has gone down by her next x-ray, she should be fine; however, she needs her rest. I want to keep an eye on her, so she stays in the infirmary until further notice."

"Can she walk around a bit?" Jack enquired.

"We'll see tomorrow about that. In the meantime, I'd like to have a chat with Doctor Brightman before talking to you in private, Sir," Janet said, with a meaningful, oblique look at Jack.

"I'll be in my office."

Teal'c was keen on catching up with Daniel; he asked how the younger man was faring, but the archaeologist seemed reluctant to disclose personal information. Daniel took his leave from Teal'c and knocked on Sam's door. Janet never did say he was not allowed to visit her, he reasoned.

"Hi Sam!"

"Good afternoon sir," said Sam.

Daniel smiled; _so typical of her_, he thought.

"Daniel, I'm Daniel Jackson."

"Nice to meet you... erm... we do know each other, don't we?"

"Yes Sam, and quite well I might add."

"I've got a feeling we're family, but we don't share the same name...?"

"Jack, Teal'c, you and I have worked many years together. We are a family of sorts, because we don't have any of our own, more or less. That's what brought us close, and keeps us close."

Sam nodded, thinking it explained her feeling safe near Teal'c or the general.

"But you're not military, are you?"

"No, I'm a Doctor of Archaeology."

"How fascinating! You're the first person who's freely told me anything relevant since I woke up."

"Well, it's probably because the doctors would rather we talk about something neutral, with no emotional burden or too many memories attached to it."

"I understand, I do, but how am I going to get my memories back if no one talks to me?"

"The unfailable Sam Carter logic!" Daniel smiled.

"You disapprove..."

"No, no, not at all, sorry. It's just so... you!"

Daniel did tell her a bit about his life, and Janet's.

"Oh that's so cute, you guys are married! Was I there?"

"Of course, you were Janet's matron of honor."

"I seem to remember her giving me a different name when she introduced herself...?"

"Yes, her maiden name, Fraiser. She prefers it to Jackson."

"Why?"

"Janet... Jackson... It's a bit weird, isn't it?"

In front of Sam's blank and dismayed look, Daniel explained Janet Jackson was a very famous singer, which made Sam laugh. Daniel relaxed; which was a great thing, what with all he went through in Sam's evil doppelgänger's clutches.

A year ago, Daniel had been kidnapped and tortured by a human-form Replicator, one of Fifth's creations, which was a perfect replica of what Sam looked like at the time. She had changed a bit since then, but Daniel had left the SGC anyway, unable to look at her wearing his tormentor's face every day. Janet had also retired by then, having nearly died a year before his captivity during a mission which had gone south. Their friends had been devastated by the couple's departure.

After a strongly worded discussion with Doctor Brightman, pertaining to her blindness and lack of consideration towards her patient, Janet made her way to the general's office. She knocked at the door and was invited in after a few seconds. As she opened the door, she glimpsed Jack slamming a drawer shut.

"I just wanted to let you know about my meeting with Doctor Brightman."

"Didn't go that well, huh?"

"How did you know?" a wide-eyed Janet blurted.

She thought the general had a general air of fatigue about him, especially in the tired lines of his face, as if he was lonely, and alone, in shouldering the world's burdens.

"I know you, I know how you work and think, especially where Sam's concerned; that's also why I wanted you here."

Jack tiredly rubbed his face, then his short, graying hair.

"How's the baby?" he eventually cautiously asked.

"Sir, you know I can't talk about it with you unless Sam's condition prevents her from keeping on doing her job, which is not the case here."

"Of course, but I'd like to know, just in case she asks me about it, so that I can reassure her and avoid sensitive topics."

"I'm not sure I follow, Sir?"

"Well I thought we had to avoid any emotional upheaval or any abundance of detail...?"

"That's right. Could you at least tell me who the father is, Sir? If you do know his identity, that is."

"I do..."

Janet thought of a man Sam was dating, at the time where they both worked at the SGC together. Well, maybe not dating... casually seeing whenever she could spare a few minutes away from her work would be more accurate. Maybe he was the father, after all.

Jack's voice intruded into her flow of memories.

"It's me, I'm the baby's father."

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_Hey ! I'll leave South America on Wednesday night, to Paris for a month. I think I would be able to update as often but don't worry if I'm late in updating._

_I hope I should also be able ton answer the reviews but late I think since I would go to the hospital, almost everyday._


	6. Explanations

_Thanks a lot for all the great reviews we have, Aliceanjee & I, with this fic ;) I'm very pleased you all read/follow/review ;)_

_Please enjoy a new chapter !_

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**Chapter 6 - Explanations**

Janet and Daniel went to Jack's for dinner, as he'd asked the doctor for updates and tips on how to help Sam on the road to being well again. Janet also needed to know as much as possible about Sam, so that she could do her work effectively. Jack did not take the time to prepare anything, he'd ordered pizza instead.

"I can't imagine how you can stay away from the mountain, Jack," Daniel said; he was surprised to see him somewhere else than at Sam's bedside after his surprising revelation.

"Just getting some fresh air, I'll go back afterwards, I'd rather not leave her alone for too long." Janet smiled; she understood him wanting to protect her, especially with her amnesia, but more particularly due to Sam's pregnancy.

"I suppose it didn't go very well with... what's his name? Pete?"

"Pete the moron? Nothing came out of it, but anyway I knew from the beginning it wouldn't get very far between the two of them."

"Sir, you're making me curious to know more!"

"We were going through a bad time when that happened..."

"What do you mean?"

"After Daniel Ascended, I shut down, became distant. I was quite harsh with her, pushing her further and further; our fierce fight against the Goa'uld made me blind to everything else. Sam's brother proposed she have coffee with a friend of his, hoping they'd get together. She knew it'd never go any further than that, so she convinced me I should let her go. I reluctantly agreed, but this guy stuck to her like glue!"

"Maybe it'd have been easier if you'd have told her how you felt, she'd never have strayed.." Daniel softly said, always the diplomat.

"She didn't 'stray' as you put it, she remained faithful to me!" Jack spat.

"Faithful? I'm not sure I understand, Jack." Daniel was stumped.

Jack took note of the blunder he made. He rubbed his neck, visibly uncomfortable.

"I erm... how can I put it... Carter and I are... married?" Jack winced.

The news fell like a rock in the middle of a calm pond; Daniel and Janet were stunned. The archaeologist finally burst out laughing.

"Married? The two of you are married?"

"I can see you're crushed, Daniel... can't see what's so funny about it though!" a vexed Jack replied.

"It's just that... imagining the two of you married, very close to each other... You guys have always been so distant and formal, I can't fathom she finally agreed for the two of you to be together!"

"Excuse me?" Jack was outraged.

"Or maybe you finally agreed on you being a couple? No, that can't be, she is a very beautiful woman, I don't think finding herself a man would be a chore..."

Janet intervened.

"Daniel, the general has always kept Sam at arm's length to protect both their careers; I do believe their feelings have always been mutually returned, ever since they met. They just had to cross that bridge, so to speak."

"On another note Jack, I know we haven't been on the best of terms lately, but you could still have invited us, or at the very least let us know about it... we'd have liked to be there!"

"Daniel..." Jack sighed.

"Maybe it was a secret wedding, we should probably keep it to ourselves in that case," Janet offered.

Jack tiredly sat down, while Daniel got up and started to pace the living room. A picture frame on the mantel he'd never seen before caught his eye. He came closer, and nearly did a double take at the couple pictured.

"By the way Jack, how long have you and Sam been married then?"

"It should only have been for a weekend, a perfect weekend, but it's gonna be ten years next week."

Janet stared at Jack, flabbergasted. Ten years! And no one had ever known anything about it.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Jack!"

"You were on Abydos, and then, when I came to get you, I couldn't say anything, it was too..."

"Too complicated?" Daniel posed.

"Not as much complicated as risky, Daniel. We're not supposed to work together, but Hammond really did need her at the SGC."

"But... what about Pete?"

"Her brother doesn't know about the wedding. We had to tell Jacob, eventually, and let me tell you, that was NOT a piece of cake! As a result she pretended nothing had changed in Mark's presence, but in any case, we weren't doing that good, so she took a step back to put her thoughts in order."

"Jack, you... she... actually, I have no idea what to say!" Daniel was stunned; his best friends' relationship had been just in front of his nose, the whole time, and he didn't even see it!

The three friends dined in a companionable silence, focused on Jack's revelations. Janet was curious, she'd have liked to learn more but didn't dare ask out loud. Daniel was curious too, but he was too furious with his friends to pay a closer look at their relationship. Of course, he was delighted they were happy, but he'd have liked to share in this happiness, and told Jack so.

"And then what? Would it have prevented you from leaving SG-1 after your kidnapping by RepliCarter?"

"Jack, it doesn't have anything to do with that! You're being unfair."

"And you think you were fair? You dumped us, Daniel! What were you thinking?"

"Calm down, the both of you. Getting angry is not going to do you any good," Janet intervened. "Jack... May I call you Jack?"

"Please do, we do know each other _so_ much better now!" Jack ironically retorted.

"Tell me more about your story, yours and Sam's. Please, Jack," Janet softly requested.


	7. Memories

**Chapter 7 – Memories**

Jack poured everyone more wine, and sat back down to sip his.

"When I came back from Abydos, my wife had left me. I got back in touch with the guys from my old Black Ops unit, and one of them, Ned, an instructor, had organised a weekend away with other officers somewhere in the Hamptons. He invited me to come along and I said yes, 'cause I thought some fresh air and lying on the beach drinking a few beers was a good alternative to moping all alone, thinking over and over again about the fiasco that my life had become by then. I flew to JFK and Ned picked me up; when the other guests started to arrive, I felt old. More mature officers made their entrance later, and Sam was with them. She was stunning, wearing a turquoise bikini and beige shorts, and her long hair fell down her back to her hips; I thought my heart would stop beating. She was sitting on the beach with her friends; Sam was quite an extrovert by then, boisterous even, and was a pro at playing drinking games."

"Sam? Playing drinking games?" Janet was speechless.

"Yeah, she was the cream of the crop, until I beat her that is. Much later, she revealed that'd been the first thing she liked about me, I treated her as an equal, not as 'just a girl': when I was better than her, I'd never let her win just because. Anyway, Ned introduced me to his group of friends; he did really appreciate this new bunch of recruits and they were really close, that's why he'd invited them to his shindig. They made room for me, and I ended up playing drinking games with guys who were not even thirty; I hadn't laughed this much in years!"

Jack smiled, while his friends were intently focused on his every words.

"I did keep an eye on Sam from my corner, but I never made any moves on her, thinking I wouldn't be her type. She did ask me to accompany her for a walk on the beach however, many of the young bucks were disappointed they weren't asked! I got up from my lounger and followed her, and everyone was silent as we left. When we were finally alone, on the beach, she took my hand. I was nervous, I hadn't been alone with a woman in quite a while; since Sara, actually. I did ask her why she chose me, out of all the other men present that day. She didn't quite know what to answer, and replied she was attracted to me, I apparently looked 'mysterious and slightly arrogant'. I was fascinated by her crystal blue eyes, and how easily she made contact with me even though we'd never met before that day. We talked about nothing and everything: our mutual likes and dislikes, what music we prefer listening to, what movies we enjoyed; but we didn't touch on anything sensitive. I knew she was a very intelligent young woman, but neither of us were looking for a relationship at the time. We came back after a couple hours spent walking on the beach, and I helped Ned with the barbecue while keeping an eye on Sam. She had them all at her feet, and the men would have done whatever she asked. I did think there would be no way she'd chose me when she could have these young men instead. After dinner, we organised a few games, and Sam went to play pool. I followed the games from where I was, and I was really impressed by her technique; the woman is a pool shark, you won't believe it! Unfortunately, one of the guys didn't appreciate being beaten by a woman. He accused her of cheating, and made to strike her. I was going to intervene, but she beat me to it and flattened the guy! I clapped when I saw him knocked out, and she offered me a beer to celebrate; we spent the night together after that. We hadn't made any promises by morning, just to make and keep eternal beautiful memories of that perfect weekend."

Sam had been an affectionate and careful lover, and their night had been fabulous, just as if they'd known what the other one wanted when they wanted it; Jack did not say any of this to his friends however.

She'd led him to her room, clasping his hand tightly into hers, and he'd followed her, not really aware of what was happening; he'd never thought he'd ever have a chance with this amazing and beautiful young woman. She made him lie down on the bed and stripped off to her turquoise bikini. She half-covered him, kissed him, and started to caress his torso through his tee shirt, and went lower and lower, until she reached his manhood. Their breaths quickened, and she peppered sensual kisses all over his face. Jack flipped them over, stripped Sam of the remainder of her skimpy clothing and worshipped her body all over. She moaned, gripping her lover's short hair. She whispered his name in the night, her breath feathering the tip of his ears, which made Jack's arousal grow even more; they'd made love all night long.

Jack paused in his reminiscences to sip his wine once more; his eyes twinkling with pleasure as he remembered their glorious past.


	8. Together

_Once again, I need to congratulate my wonderful friend Aliceanjee for the translation on my story ! It's amazing and I hope you like it ;)_

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Together**

"Afterwards we spent a lovely Sunday together, walking here and there, and sexy times in the beach sand... And we parted. I felt like an emptiness inside me, but I didn't wanna hold on, I was sure I didn't want another relationship. And in any case, I hadn't spared Sara a single thought throughout the whole weekend, so that was a good remedy. Ned invited me back to his place in DC to introduce me to some more of his friends, as he'd felt I needed company and thought meeting new people would do me good, and he was right. We got an invite to an awards ceremony, so I dug my mess dress uniform out of a closet, put a fake smile on and reported to the Pentagon as ordered. Of course, I saw Sam there, looking stunning in her own mess dress uniform. I knew she was a Captain, but I saw her, in her formal attire, and she was breathtaking."

Janet nodded, she knew Sam was really sexy in the usually unflattering mess dress uniform; even Daniel, who was Sam's best friend, had to admit the general was right.

"We only had eyes for each other the whole evening," Jack continued. "We didn't run in the same circles back then, but she learnt that night I was a Colonel. At some point, she did come to greet Ned, and he officially introduced us. She saluted me, and I understood she'd thought about me too. That night we spent together was all I could think of, ever since I arrived."

"That look is definitely familiar," Janet smiled, she'd seen them look at each other as if they were all alone on the planet plenty of times.

"We left the awards ceremony together, later on that night. We met outside and shared a taxi back to her place, and I never left. We lived together a few months, sharing her apartment."

"What was she working on back then?" Janet was curious.

"I knew she was working at the Pentagon, but she was not allowed to tell me more, as the project she was heading was top-secret and I was retired, out of the loop so to speak. I was miles away from thinking she was working on the 'Gate. Since you opened it Daniel, she'd been asked to work on other uses and applications, and also to find other viable coordinates. That's how she established the possibilities of time travel, from what she told me when we went back to 1969."

"Wait, she'd read the mission reports, right, so she must've known who you were?" Daniel enquired, puzzled.

"Well she did read them, but lots of info had been blacked out, such as names and ranks of those who'd been there for the ride. She only knew it was me when she received her orders to report to the SGC, and that was much later."

"I can't imagine you as a 'house-husband' though," Daniel laughed.

"That's why I left DC after a few months. I was in love with Sam, but I needed some fresh air, I was going stir-crazy in the city."

"You came back to Colorado then?"

"No, I had nothing waiting for me here. I decided to go to my cabin in Minnesota, and Sam would join me every weekend and I'd spend 10 days a month in DC with her. I quickly realised we couldn't live without one another, so I proposed; she declined."

"Excuse me?" Daniel almost choked on his wine.

"Well, she thought it was too much too soon, and she was right, but I wanted more."

"What made her change her mind?" Janet asked.

"I gave her a spiel on the benefits to being a married couple: if she was reassigned it'd be easier for me to follow, or if my commission was re-instated we could manage to work together, just not in the same chain of command."

"And that was enough?" Janet was sceptical.

"No, actually, she saw it as an impediment to her future career. People would have gossiped, said she'd have made it to the top 'cause she'd married a flyboy, a USAF Colonel. She thought if people knew she were married, they'd automatically think a baby would shortly follow, and nobody would want to work with her any longer."

"Ouch..." Janet winced.

"I must say I can't see Sam agreeing to elope on a whim," Daniel confided.

The archaeologist grabbed the picture frame he was holding earlier, Jack and Sam's wedding picture; the couple had always made sure it was put away whenever the general was entertaining.

"And what did you do after that?" Daniel enquired. He passed the picture to Janet, who admired the married couple. She did notice Sam's long hair, and thought she looked quite different, in a good way.

"I came home here, to the Springs."

"You left her?" Daniel was speechless.


	9. Mariage

**Chapter 9 – Marriage**

"No, I just gave her space, so that she could get her bearings once more; she needed to rethink her priorities. That week we were apart was one of the worst I've ever had, hands down. She later confessed to being sent home by her CO after only two days, as she couldn't focus on her work. Sam, who's usually the workaholic we all know, was just a pale shadow of herself, and the Pentagon thought it due to her over-working herself so they gave her the rest of the week off. She reflected, long and hard, during those few days, and flew to Colorado Springs on the Friday. She said she'd very much like to marry me, but wanted to keep it on a need-to-know basis."

Janet cooed; and Jack gathered it probably meant something along the lines of '_it's so cute!_'

"Well, we got married after that, in the strictest intimacy. She'd explained what type of man Jacob Carter was, and why she was adamant about keeping our marriage secret," Jack continued.

"And you agreed to all this?" Daniel was quite surprised.

"Let's say I coped, but when I met the man... you remember when we went to that awards ceremony after we sent Apophis to meet his maker? I understood then why she wanted it that way. That man was a sneaky sonofabitch! Selmak changed him for the better, thank God!"

Daniel laughed. Everybody who knew Jacob Carter, in the SGC or not, knew he had quite a temper, which he surely passed to his dearest daughter; and Janet couldn't help but smile.

"So you guys had been married for about a year when Hammond re-instated your commission then?" he said.

"She was reassigned first. Hammond was in the Pentagon the day following Apophis's attack. He had a meeting with the Joint Chiefs and requested her presence; he then gave her the real report to read and she received her orders for the SGC that same day."

"And nobody clicked when she announced she was married?" Janet was surprised.

"She only informed the registrar's office: these people don't deal with anything else and I was retired anyway. I don't think anybody realised, she was simply given the file to read and she brought it home with her. She'd finished reading it by the time I returned from Minnesota, and announced I had to go back to Colorado, quickly, because I was going to be re-instated."

Jack thought back to that fateful moment, and remembered Sam's sombre visage when he came home.

"Jack, I just finished a report about you," Sam told him that night.

"What report? I thought they were all top-secret?" Jack was surprised.

"Oh, they are, but I had a special dispensation for this one... it's about a certain device found in Giza, Egypt, in 1928... you see what I mean?"

Jack blanched when Sam indirectly mentioned the Stargate.

"I can see it on your face, you remember. This is the project I've been working on for nearly four years now. Colorado Springs AFB was under attack, and it seems the... terrorists came from the place you visited with Doctor Jackson."

Sam always used coded speech when talking about sensitive matters; she knew DC was a town where everyone, especially officers, may be watched. Jack had to sit down to process the news.

"Jack, you need to go home! They're going to be coming to put you in the brig or something like that; they think you lied in your report, and if they can't find you they'll think you deserted!" Sam was extremely worried, and started to panic.

Jack got up and embraced her. Sam never lost her cool, unless Jack was concerned.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be home when they come. But, what about you, what are you gonna do? And how do you know all this?"

"General Hammond is replacing General West, and he wants me working on the project at the Cheyenne Mountain complex. I have to work on the 'Gate and I'm due to report in two days."

"And what about a place to live, are you going to stay in base quarters?"

"I've got off-base housing waiting for me already."

"What? You're a captain and you already have off-base housing?"

"Well my father's a general, and Hammond is... my Godfather?" Sam winced.

"Well look at that, somebody pulled strings for you then!"

"No strings pulled, as you say, it's just an arrangement, seen as I may have to move at a moment's notice if required! For everything else, I had to do it all on my own!" Sam was vexed.

"Sam, I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you, I know you're more than capable. I know what you're worth, sweetheart," Jack repented.

They kissed until they ran out of breath, and made love as if it were the last time they ever would. Jack had left in the middle of the night to catch the red-eye to Colorado Springs.


	10. SGC

_I'm not very good at expressing my own feelings but I want you to know, all, that I really do appreciate the reviews/followers and favorites ;) Aliceanjee worked so well on the story, I wish to thank her, she's amazing !_

_Hope you'll enjoy :)_

* * *

**Chapter 10 – SGC**

"And... you know the rest. The 'Gate was re-activated, we sent Daniel tissues, and I was introduced the next day to Captain Sam Carter, who'd cut her hair short in the meantime," Jack continued.

"And you made everyone believe you'd never met! You even said you thought you'd be sent a male captain..." Daniel smiled.

"Yeah, had to pretend anyway, might as well have fun doing it!" Jack laughed.

"She laid it on a bit thick, didn't she? When she asked you to arm-wrestle?" Janet asked.

"Yeah, but it is _so_ her! She offered me the same when we first met in the Hamptons, it was a cheeky reminder she sent me there... I almost accepted back then, but that was before I saw her annihilating the guy that bothered her after the pool games!"

Janet laughed. She knew Sam was now level 3 hand-to-hand combat, in any case, she'd proven her abilities after she got kidnapped by the Mongol-like tribe. Later, Daniel had told her Jack'd been mad with worry, but everyone attributed this to his 'leave no one behind' admirable motto. Looking back, Janet understood him a bit better, he almost lost the love of his life, but he fought tooth and nail to get her back and she took her revenge on her aggressors.

"Don't you find it hard, to work together that is?" the lady doctor enquired.

"The first year was the hardest," Jack sighed. "We celebrated our two-year anniversary in the middle of nowhere in Antarctica of all places... very romantic, but it lacked the warmth of a roaring fire in the chimney!"

Janet smiled.

"At the beginning, we found it hard to balance work and our personal life. I had to treat her as any other member of my team, but I also had to look after my wife... And there have been... encounters, and I made mistakes," a remorseful Jack sighed once more.

Daniel thought back to the unfortunate Argos incident, involving a charming Kynthia and misunderstandings over a tasty morsel of local cake. He remembered how tense the atmosphere within the team was afterwards, now he understood why.

Jack shot his wristwatch a glance. Janet intercepted the look and offered to let him go back to his wife.

"Jack, before you get back to being the general, I have to tell you something," she said.

"Yes?" Jack frowned.

"I know emotional upheaval is strictly off-limits, but... talk to her, about herself, then little by little, about your love... I am convinced it'll help, but please take it slow, one step at a time."

"Thank you doctor!" Jack replied, relieved.

"Oh Jack, I almost forgot, one last thing..." Janet said as she stood on the threshold before the general who was closing his front door. "The baby's doing fine."

The couple then vanished in the night.

SJSJSJSJSJ

"You should let Cassie know," Daniel said, as he finally laid down for the night next to Janet.

"No, she's got her finals, I don't want to worry her while Sam's state is stable. In any case, the last time they talked, Sam was neither married nor pregnant!" Janet stated.

"But, she _was_ married!"

"Of course, but nobody knew about it!" Janet giggled.

"Their story is... bonkers, isn't it? And you don't care?"

"You're not military, you can't understand, but I do. What I think is the craziest, in my opinion, is all these years they spend making everyone think there was nothing whatsoever going on between the two of them. They let the state of their feelings for each other shrouded in mystery, all the while being married to one another... it must've been a torture all these years!"

"Knowing Jack like I do, it doesn't surprise me though," Daniel said.

"Well I was more thinking of all the missions you carried out together, and some of them must have been... compromising."

"Oh yeah... and in my point of view, Jack must've been put in the doghouse quite often! What with all the stupid things he did off-world..."

"Yes, and also with his aggression when he was still a colonel..."

Daniel frowned, then remembered said event.

"Oh yes, the Broca virus! Do you think she'd have jumped on him even if they hadn't been together?"

"I'm sure she would have, the general is an unbelievably charismatic leader. Any woman would have jumped on him given the situation!" Janet smiled.

"Well, I'm lucky you're immune then!" Daniel stated.

Janet laughed, before they kissed each other goodnight.

"I'm still peeved they never told us anything though..."

"Well, you never did enquire, but I'd advise you to ask him tomorrow..." Janet mused.

"Ask him what?" Daniel was baffled.

"It probably hurt them too, not to tell us anything for all these years, don't you think?" Janet sleepily smiled. "I hope Sam will be better tomorrow morning."

"What are you talking about? The amnesia or the haematoma?"

"Both, but mostly the haematoma, because that's the cause for her amnesic state," Janet yawned.

Daniel softly embraced his wife, and kissed her forehead.

"You do know how much I love you, my Janet, don't you?"

"I know, I love you too, my Daniel," a content and sleepy Janet replied.


	11. Confidences

_Here we are, it's Friday finally and this is the new chapter of my story - translated by the wonderful Aliceanjee ;)_

_Hope you'll enjoy !_

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Confidences**

Jack reached Sam's room, and found her awake, an upside-down book resting on her stomach, talking and laughing with Teal'c. He gave her door a two-fingered knock.

"Sir," Sam said, trying to sit upright in her bed.

"Carter, you're in the hospital, no saluting necessary. Teal'c, you'd better go have dinner and rest, you'll need all your strength to keep Carter company and entertain her tomorrow."

Teal'c stood up and bowed in Sam's direction before silently leaving the room.

"The bodyguard you found me is quite... unusual to say the least, Sir," Sam smiled.

"He's got the best qualifications for the job!"

"He has the serious duty to look after a weak amnesic woman."

"Amnesic woman maybe, but I wouldn't go so far as saying weak!" Jack burst out laughing.

"Why are you laughing, Sir?" Sam was puzzled.

"The words Carter and weak do not belong together in the same sentence... at all! It's... all wrong!"

Jack stepped towards her and half-sat on the edge of her bed. He took Sam's hand, which previously rested on top of the blanket alongside her body. She did not protest, although she was surprised, but his touch was quite pleasurable.

"You're the strongest woman I know, both physically and mentally. Nothing stops you, and that makes you a feared and fearless officer. To be fair, most of my men are apprehensive around you; Teal'c is here to protect them from you, not the contrary!"

Jack was honest about his opinion of her, Sam could see it in his eyes. She smiled at his words.

"You can't be serious, Sir."

"D'ya want me to call the last one who disrespected you?"

"Oh no, that's not necessary, but please, I'd like you to tell me about it... if you can."

Jack looked at her, and couldn't help but be compelled to grant her wish.

"Very well. You'd just finished sparring with Teal'c; obviously, you were sweaty and your top was clinging to your skin. You were walking the corridors from the gym to the women's locker room to have a shower and change, and two captains crossed your path: the newbie whistled at you, while the other discretely saluted you."

"Holy Hannah, don't tell me I decked him!"

"No, you gripped his arm and frog-marched him to my office; threw him into it was more like it. I'd never seen you like this, you nearly scared me."

Sam shook her head.

"And what did you do?"

"I ripped him a new one, punished him and made him go to a sexual harassment seminar."

"Well, it seems I'm good at making friends, aren't I?"

"Don't worry, everybody respects you here, especially because you don't let anyone walk all over you. Here, it's better to have a temper than none at all. You'd never have made it this far if for this cold determination of yours."

"Cold?"

"You're a brilliant scientist, your brain analyses things without worrying about the rest..."

"And that's why here I am, single and pregnant, on a hospital bed!" Sam wryly said.

"Who said you were single?" Jack smirked.

"Well, I don't have a wedding ring, and nobody knows who my baby's father is... it's quite strange don't you think?"

"Sam, I can promise you you are married and happy. Your husband is crazy about you but the doctors want your memories to come back on their own. I don't wanna confuse you with all this alright?"

Jack fought against kissing her smaller hand comfortably resting in his.

"Sir, can you tell me what happens here in this base?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," soothed Jack.

Sam dejectedly nodded, and tried to get off her bed.

"Hey, where d'ya think you're going?"

"Erm... to the ladies' room Sir?" an uncomfortable Sam replied.

Jack gripped the pole Sam's saline pouch hung from, and followed her to the bathroom. He let her do what she needed on her own, and helped her back into bed when she was done. She was surprised how caring this man was, just like Teal'c earlier.

"Sir, can you at least tell me where we are? I feel like we're locked in somewhere... there are no windows and it sure doesn't look like we're in Las Vegas."

"You know Vegas?"

"Yeah. Did I go there?"

"We'll discuss it some other time. Well, we are in a secret subterranean base in Colorado; it's actually an old disused missile silo. We conduct spatial scientific research projects."

"Spatial scientific research projects? That's really cool, I always wanted to be an astronaut!" Sam grinned.

Sam's words left Jack speechless.

"Did I say anything wrong?"

"No, I'm just surprised you remember that."

Sam giggled.

"We did shake on an agreement a few years ago, colonel."

Sam stopped right there, and apprehensively waited for Jack to continue.

"I said no giggling... it reminds me of the turkeys' cries when we wring their necks for Thanksgiving, so normally as per our accords, you weren't supposed to giggle any longer in my presence, and amnesia's not a valid excuse!"

Sam started laughing, as if it were the best joke she'd heard in years. Her headache came back with a vengeance however, so Jack decided to stop right there. He dimmed the lights and settled in an armchair he'd pulled alongside Sam's bed.

"You're not gonna sleep in this chair, are you, Sir?"

"Well, I could've slept on the floor but the tiles are way too cold. G'night, Sam."

"Sir, who's Jacob?" asked a sleepy-eyed Sam a few minutes later.

"I'll tell you tomorrow Carter, now sleep, it's an order!" Jack softly smiled.

* * *

_I think I won't be able to post on Wednesday cause it's the day I flight back to South America. I'll see for Tuesday if Aliceanjee can manage to work on chapter 12 by then - or on wednesday very late (Paris Time ^^) Have a nice weekend everyone !_


	12. Jacob

**Chapter 12 – Jacob**

When Jack woke up Sam was still asleep, her features peaceful; as she lacked her memories still, there were no nightmares to wake her up for once, which was reassuring. Jack loathed the times she screamed herself awake. Her eyes fluttered open, just in time for Janet's visit.

"Hello Sir, Sam. Did you sleep here, Sir?" the lady doctor greeted, entering the room.

"Yep. I should remember to have these chairs replaced!" Jack mused, massaging his lower back after getting up.

"I'll get the x-ray done Sam, and depending on the results you may have a proper breakfast today," Janet declared.

"I'll shower in the meantime, and come back with Carter's tray too," Jack offered.

The two women rewarded him with a smile, and he reluctantly left the room. He thought back to his conversation with the Commander-in-Chief, when he was asked what he thought about Sam's accident, as her husband. He actually was confused, and terribly sad, and there was no way he'd let his feelings take over. He erected walls between his feelings and his heart and mind, and let his General persona take the lead, as he was wont to do in difficult situations.

"The x-rays are looking good, Sir," Janet said as he entered Sam's room.

"Great, here's decaf with fruits and Jell'o to celebrate!" Jack grinned, offering the meal tray he'd piled high with food to his wife.

"Thank you, Sir," she shyly smiled back at him.

Sam had no idea who her husband was, but she felt a strong pull towards this man, and was trying to repress her feelings; it wouldn't do to fall in love with her CO while she was married to another man, and pregnant too!

"So Carter, I remember you said you wanted to know more about Jacob, right?" Jack peered at her above the rim of her coffee cup.

"Yes, I'd like that. Do you know him, Sir?"

"I do, Jacob is your father."

"Oh... will he come to visit?" Sam asked.

"Well, I did send him a message; I hope he'll be able to get time off, he's a very busy man."

"That rings a bell, him being very busy... he's a General too, isn't he?" Sam enquired.

"That's right, a USAF Major General to be exact," Jack smiled.

Sam's heart missed a beat as the warning alarm went off through the PA system.

"Unauthorised off-world activation! General O'Neill to the control room please!" Harriman's voice stated through the speakers.

"Sorry Carter, duty calls!" Jack jumped off the bed and took off at a breakneck pace towards the Gate room; he hoped it was Jacob, and his prayers were answered.

"Hi Dad!" Jack greeted him.

"Hello Jack," Jacob said with a forced smile. He didn't really enjoy being called that, but kept mum.

"So what's the emergency? Is it Sam?" Jacob was starting to get worried, as he realised his daughter wasn't there to welcome him, for the first time ever.

"Yeah, there was an accident in her lab earlier, she's okay but she needs you," Jack beckoned to follow him.

"She needs me? Why?"

"Well, she's got amnesia and had a concussion, which left a huge bump on her head," Jack said, motioning towards his own head in the vague area of Sam's haematoma.

"I see," Jacob answered while they were quickly making their way towards the infirmary. "And what does she actually remember?"

"She remembers you, and Las Vegas."

"Vegas? Does she remember all that happened there?" Jacob asked.

"No, she knows the city and that she went there, but has no idea why or when."

"And you didn't explain?" Jacob was surprised.

"The docs say they don't want us to tell her anything... and we can't upset her either. You'd better change, as a matter of fact."

Jacob nodded, and Jack handed his own BDU vest over with a set of clean fatigues he'd gotten ready, so that the older man would have at least one set of stars on his shoulder boards. Jacob raised a questioning eyebrow.

"She remembers you're a General too.." O'Neill explained.

Jacob entered his daughter's room after he'd donned a black T-shirt and green set of BDUs along with Jack's own vest, with an SGC badge on the top of one sleeve.

"Sir!" she saluted him. She had a weird feeling in her gut, but had no idea where it came from.

"Sam, it's me, it's Dad!"

"Oh yes, of course. I'm sorry."

She gave him an apologetic smile; Jacob sat on the bed and took her hands in his. The weird feeling intensified.

"How are you honey?"

"Well, my headaches are fading away, which is a good start, but my memories are not really back yet."

"And are they taking good care of you?"

"Yes, General O'Neill and Teal'c are looking after me really well.

Jacob kissed her hair.

"How's the baby?" he whispered in her ear. Sam caressed her stomach and smiled.

"Healthy, as far as I know."

Jack was relieved, as he contemplated the scene from the far end of the room.

"Dad? Do you know my husband?" Sam was anxious.

"I do, honey."

"And... do you like him?"

Jacob smiled, as he felt Jack's presence behind them, but remained facing away from him so as not to betray the subject of their conversation.

"Yes, even if he's a bit impudent and cheeky sometimes, but I guess that's what you like in him."

Sam sniggered.

"Do you know why I can't see him? I'd really like for him to be with me..." Sam teared up.

Jack was used to it – thank you pregnancy hormonal changes! – but was crushed not to be able to comfort her.

"Oh, Sammie, honey. It's much more complicated than that... you have to let your mind heal, and then you'll remember him," Jacob soothed.

"What do you mean I'll remember him? He's dead, is that it? Is that why no one wants to tell me anything?" Sam panicked.

Her panic turned into a tantrum, and Jack called Janet, who came running. Sam was crying and hitting her father's chest with her fists, while Jacob was trying to restrain her so that she would not hurt herself. Janet had to give her a light sedative through her IV, so that she'd calm down and rest.

"Doc, isn't that dangerous? What about the baby?" Jack worriedly asked.

"Well, it's better than this tantrum, that's for sure!" Janet replied.


	13. Meetings

**Chapter 13 – Meetings**

"We should let her rest," Janet advised, shepherding the two generals out of the room.

"See, she thinks I'm dead, what with your freaking dumb ideas of hiding the truth from her!" Jack fumed.

Thankfully, the corridor was empty, save for the three of them. Jack led the way to his office: he'd called Teal'c and asked him to look after Sam; Daniel joined the Jaffa in their friend's room and kept the conversation going, all the while keeping an eye on the young woman.

Jack invited Jacob and Janet to settle themselves in the chairs facing his desk.

"Sir, I know it's difficult, but nobody had foreseen she'd have these strange ideas forming in her head," Janet soothed.

"It's my fault, I told her she'd remember her husband later..."

Janet's nose crinkled as she winced, but she kept quiet.

"I gather you're aware of what's going on, Doctor Fraiser?" Jacob continued.

"Yes, the General told me about it yesterday."

"And... what do you think of all of this?"

"Jacob, please, not now! Do you really wanna go there?" Jack exasperatedly said.

"I'm curious to know what your friends think of your top-secret marriage to my daughter!"

"Anyway, you were one of the first to know, you shouldn't complain!" Jack huffed, massaging the tense knots at the nape of his neck.

"I surely hope so! But you only told me because I realised something was up between the two of you, and because I left her with no alternative!"

Their verbal sparring left Janet with some time to chose her next words carefully so as not to vex any of the two Generals.

"I understand they felt like they had to keep it a secret, but I must admit I'd have liked to share in their happiness much earlier."

"A politician's answer, Doc.. staying in the safe neutral zone, hmm?"

"In any case, that's my opinion anyway," Janet smiled.

"Jack, I'll talk to her a bit. I'll explain that her marriage is... complicated, but that her husband's okay, even though, between you and me, he doesn't look like it. You're knackered, Jack, you should go get some rest," Jacob offered.

"I spent two nights in a hospital chair, and no Goa'uld in the whole universe will prevent me from spending the night close to her!" Jack said, marching out of his office.

"When did you actually... know, Sir?" Janet asked, after a few minutes of a stretched silence.

"I realised right away there was something going on between the two of them when I met Jack for the first time at the awards ceremony in D.C.; afterwards, Selmak brought what I thought were insignificant details to my attention when I saw them later on, but I didn't really think about what could the situation possibly be. Sam actually spilled the beans after Doctor Carter's visit; she was quite upset, and George called me because he saw how much it affected her, and he couldn't leave it at that. I called at her place, and I realised the house was terribly bland. Obviously, she'd put framed pictures on the wall, but it looked like an empty shell. Her cupboards were so empty that we had to go for coffee in town."

Jacob paused, a frown on his face.

"Sam told me about the parallel universes, and the Quantum mirror. She also mentioned Doctor Carter, and I could feel Jack had crossed a line, and apparently not for the first time, since he'd 'forgotten' their relationship during a mission before. Of course, she didn't give me many details, at first anyway."

SJSJSJSJSJ

"Sammie, honey, you know you can tell me anything," Jacob pleaded, stirring his coffee as they sat on the terrace at the caf.

"Dad, it's not that simple..."

"Why? Because you're in love with your CO? I do agree it's not that simple, it is quite an entangled situation you have there."

"That's not the worst of it... but I don't know if I should tell you about it," Sam bit her lip.

"Why not? Do you think I'm heartless? Do you think I don't wish you luck and happiness?"

"No, Dad, I know all that, I know you care... but I also know that if I tell you the truth, you'll resent me, and I don't want us to be mad at each other again..." Sam wearily said, wanting to avoid the fight she knew would eventually come.

She'd much rather fight the Goa'uld over and over again than have this specific conversation with her father; but she gave up at Jacob's insistence.

"Two years before we re-opened the 'Gate, I met a man. We spent a perfect weekend together, and it wasn't supposed to last any longer than that. We met again by chance later on, and we got together."

Jacob's face got more and more distraught as Sam's story took shape; he didn't need her to tell him who the man was, he already knew.

"We were in a relationship for a few months before we got married."

Sam kept her head lowered so as not to look into her father's eyes. As Jacob kept quiet, thanks to Selmak, Sam continued.

"Anyway, I had no idea he was even remotely connected to the project I was working on, and neither did he, as I never said anything about my research. One day, Uncle George asked me to attend a meeting with the Joint Chiefs, where he evoked Apophis's visit to Earth. He gave me the complete, unblemished 'Abydos' mission report; I read it, and I thought I was going to pass out when I saw the name of the mission's Commanding Officer..."


	14. Others

**Chapter 14 – Others**

"Where was he, back then?"

"In DC with me. He was travelling to and from between Minnesota and my apartment. I told him to get back to the Springs right away; I arrived later, in time for the briefing, and... you know the rest."

"And you didn't deem advising your superiors of your relationship necessary? For heaven's sake Sam, your husband is now your CO!" Jacob spat.

Sam squared her shoulders and got ready to bear her father's wrath. She knew they'd been in the wrong; especially her as she'd been adamant she wanted to keep all of it under wraps, it had been her idea in the first place and her husband simply followed her lead.

"If somebody utters a single word about this, all of his decisions would be questioned, including your promotion to Major, since George obviously had to take his opinion into account! Do you understand where this is going, Sam?" Jacob continued.

Sam held back her tears.

"Of course Dad, but... we didn't know what to do at the time! I wanted to work on the project, I had to go through the 'Gate."

"And what about J... him? Couldn't he just leave it there?"

"He just wanted to get Daniel back before retiring again but... he's a man of action, he missed it a lot. I couldn't ask him to put his career on hold for me," Sam stated.

"And why not?"

"Because he'd do it, and I refuse to ask it of him; I'd never ever forgive myself if I did."

"Do you really love each other this much?"

"Dad, we've been married for four years now, and even if like every other couple we have our ups and downs, we're still together; I think it speaks for itself, don't you?"

Jacob was much calmer now.

"Are you happy?"

"I am," Sam simply said.

That was enough for Jacob.

"Who else knows?"

"Uncle George does. We quickly had to let him in on it, because he'd realised there was something between us."

"And he didn't tell me?" Jacob was a bit disappointed.

"It wasn't his secret to tell, Dad. Believe me, I really wanted to tell you. J... he insisted I should too, but we didn't get along well then, I didn't want to make it even worse," Sam explained.

They both had great difficulty uttering Jack's name in front of the other.

"Sam, I realise I was pretty hard on you, but you know I just want you to be happy, don't you?"

"I know Dad, but I've always felt like whatever I was doing didn't matter, you're always disappointed in me..."

"Sam..."

"No, really Dad, I don't even think you were impressed when I graduated _egregia cum laude_ from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) with my Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astrophysics!"

Sam emphasised her exact qualifications to make her father realised how serious she was being.

"Sam, I am proud of you, but that's not the issue here!"

"Then what is the issue, Dad?"

"Sammie, do you realise how bright you are? I've always been wary around you... ever since you've known how to talk, you've been asking questions, questions I don't have the answers to!"

"Okay, then I'm a freak, is that it?" Sam jumped off her chair.

She threw a few dollars on the table to pay for their coffees and walked away.

"Sam, wait! That's not what I meant!"

"Just... forget it Dad, it was a mistake opening my heart to you."

"No, Sam, please wait! I don't even know what's wrong!"

Jacob jogged to catch up with his daughter's quick footsteps.

"What's wrong? What's wrong is that my husband kissed a woman, who's my mirror image, to make her feel better, that's what's wrong!"

Jacob finally reached Sam, as she'd stopped and was now hiding her face in her hands. He took her in his arms.

"Oh, Sammie..." Jacob soothed.

They'd gone back to Sam's, and she'd explained the tensed atmosphere in their couple, due to various missions. Of course, at that point in their relationship, she could only think of the negative things between them.

"I understand why you're keeping your own house now, it allows you to get some breathing space."

"You have no idea," Sam sighed.

The doorbell chimed and Sam went to open the door; they both knew who was calling.

"Good afternoon, Sir," Sam said.

"Carter!" Jack was surprised by his wife's emotionless tone.

Jacob had made his presence known by appearing in the hallway, and Jack felt all his courage leave him; and a curt "Jack" was Jacob's harsh greeting.

"Come in Sir, I was just reminiscing with my dad, telling him about some of our past missions."

All of a sudden, Jack lost more of resolve. He knew he was in for it, even if they sometimes were both in the wrong.

"Past missions? Which ones?"

"Mmmh... Argos, for example?"

Right at this moment, Jack felt a really strong pull to run away and dial a random 'Gate address, as far as possible from the Tok'ra. He rallied his internal courage, and entered his wife's house. Jack settled himself in the living room while Sam took a couple beers out of the fridge. Jacob was surprised, no coffee, but beers instead?

"So, Jack, I hear congratulations are in order, you've been re-married for what, four years now?"

"Erm.. yes, thank you Jacob," Jack said, before taking a long pull from his Guinness.

Sam had left the room so as to let the two men of her life confront each other.


	15. Passions

_Once again, I'd like to thank Aliceanjee for her wonderful translation :)_

_Mind the rating M here, If you don't like, skip the end of the 2nd paragraph._

_Enjoy and thank you all for the nice reviews !_

* * *

**Chapter 15 – Passions**

"I can understand some of your actions having been done 'under alien influence', Jack, but... don't you dare hurt her again."

"I don't want to, Jacob, believe me, but... putting my feelings aside, over and over again, severely clouds my judgement sometimes."

"This is also why the frat regs are in place, Jack."

"I agree but... we already were in love way before the Stargate Program came between us, you know that. Sometimes, I feel like we'll never be able to balance work and personal life."

"Maybe it'd be easier if you'd stop flirting with all the women who cross your path!"

Sam's voice, cold and harsh, resonated in the already tense atmosphere.

"Seriously? You're bringing up Kynthia again? How many times will I have to say I'm sorry I ate that stupid cake?"

"It was obvious! Just put yourself in my shoes, can you imagine how it made me feel? Especially when we became aware of the consequences... you almost died Jack!"

Jacob made himself scarce, leaving the couple to their face-off, and borrowed Sam's car to make his way back to the SGC.

SJSJSJSJSJ

Jack was on his way back from the mess with a coffee, and had stopped unseen outside of the office door to listen to Jacob's story. Even now, he still felt guilty about his past mistakes. Jacob probably didn't know about the violent outburst that had followed his departure; Sam was extremely mad at him after the Kynthia incident, and also due to his latest interlude, with Doctor Carter.

"She needed comfort, I thought I could alleviate her hurt and pain with a kiss, but I think it thereafter actually made it worse. I didn't want to hurt you, Sam!" Jack pleaded.

"Just don't sleep with another woman next time!"

"Look who's talking! And what about your revenge for the Kynthia incident, when you kissed Narim?"

"What? But how do you know?"

"Daniel told me! I watched the security tapes, and I saw it all! Who knows what would've happened if Daniel hadn't shown up when he did!"

Sam gave him a resounding slap, channelling all her anger.

"Nothing, you hear me? Nothing would've happened, because even if I was mad at you, I love you, and I'll always be faithful to you!"

Jack palmed his burning cheek; Sam hadn't pulled any punches. She turned away from him to hide her tears, and Jack reached for her shoulder. Sam violently shrugged it off and stepped away, her bubbling anger on the verge of exploding. Jack had never seen her like this, and realised how hurt she must be feeling.

"I know you didn't intend to hurt me Jack, but that was the straw that broke the camel's back this time!"

"So Narim was really to take revenge then?" Jack asked, his tone acerbic.

Sam did an about-face.

"No, but maybe I should've slept with him, at least we'd be even now!" she spat.

"What?"

"You seem to be tallying it all up!" she shouted.

"I wasn't, but since you're mentioning it, why don't we talk about Martouf then?"

"You're not being fair, this was Jolinar's doing, not mine!"

Jack could literally feel his wife's body radiating anger and heat, and neither did any of them know how to calm down without going into a rampage of broken kitchenware. They were just about to leap at each other's throat, and it would be a risky manoeuvre as they were both highly-skilled fighters.

Without thinking about it, they threw themselves into each other's arms, and passion replaced wrath. Dangerous mission after dangerous mission had been their routine for the past few months, and they'd been unable to spend any significant length of time just the two of them; their bodies were desperate, starving for the other.

Jack pushed Sam against the corridor wall, nearly ripping her tank top in his haste to palm her breasts. He freed them from their prison to swirl his tongue around his wife's pebbled rosy peaks, drawing breathy moans of pleasure from her. Sam had let her hands sneak underneath her husband's T-shirt and scratched her nails against his muscled back as she toed her sneakers off.

"Take off your jeans," Jack asked. It was more of a demand, but his wife acquiesced, removing her underwear at the same time.

She was half-naked as Jack pulled his pants off and grabbed her thighs. He pinned her against the wall and thrust into her in one swift move. He stopped when she cried.

"Did I hurt you?"

"Take me," Sam commanded in a husky voice, biting his shoulder harshly until she drew blood.

It was the colonel's turn to obey this time. Their interaction lasted a while, as even though they both climaxed, they had no intention whatsoever to stop. Jack felt the irrepressible need to take her, to mark her as his, and Sam let him, to mark him as hers too. They eventually reached the bedroom, and they took each other again, leaving no time to catch their breaths again. They'd spent the rest of the day and some of the night making love, their mutual anger fading a little bit more after each orgasm. At some point, in the darkness of Sam's room, Jack offered not to talk about their past mistakes any longer, and move on. Sam, cocooned in Jack's embrace, agreed.

SJSJSJSJSJ

Jack entered his office and Jacob took his leave to join Sam.

"Sir, may I broach the subject of a possible re-enlistment?" Janet enquired.

"Of course you can, but I can't make any promises."

"Well, let's just think for a moment I wanted to get my commission back, would it be at all possible?"

"Theoretically yes, but you would most probably not be able to re-take the post of CMO again."

"I understand, but what if I'd be okay with that, how would I go about it?"

"Well, I imagine the general would be more lenient if you would provide his wife with your constant attention and care. He'd surely be more open to your candidacy, but who knows, you can never tell with this one!" Jack laughed.


	16. Selmak

**Chapter 16 – Selmak**

Sam was still sleeping when Jacob entered her room; he could see Teal'c kel'no'reeming and Daniel absorbed in his reading.

"Well gentlemen, how is she?"

Daniel looked away from his book and greeted Jacob.

"She's still sleeping, no tears or nightmares so far, so it's a good sign."

"Your wife is a miracle worker, with her medicines and such. She missed you, you know." Jacob stated.

"Janet missed me?" Daniel was puzzled.

"Sam did, she never explicitly said so, but I know she did."

"She misses SG1, not me, not really."

"You're mistaken, Doctor Jackson. She does miss off-world trips, but not since she found out she's pregnant again."

"What do you mean, again?"

"She miscarried once since the 'Gate was re-opened. It was during one of your missions, she didn't know she was carrying."

"Oh shoot, she never talked about it."

"And how could she, what with being single and all?" Jacob threw Teal'c a sideways glance.

"Teal'c knows about the marriage," Daniel clarified.

Jacob turned towards his Jaffa friend.

"That is accurate Jacob Carter. I knew when I met them but I did not mention it."

"Do they know you know?"

"Indeed. I congratulated them both on this auspicious event when Colonel Carter told me of her future child."

Jacob softly laughed; he could just about imagine his daughter and son-in-law's shocked faces, Teal'c must have really caught them off guard.

"Anyway, the bottom line is she missed you."

"I just... I couldn't see her every day, all day. Not after what happened with RepliCarter," Daniel hesitantly said.

"Mmmh... The goals we've all set ourselves go much, much beyond all of this, don't you think?" Sam's father softly stated.

Daniel, deep in thought, didn't answer as Sam opened her eyes and called for her father; Jacob was at her side in a flash, and took her smaller hand in his.

"Sammie honey, how are you?"

"I'm okay, I think. My tongue feels all fuzzy... what happened?"

Jacob signaled the two other men who then left the room, Teal'c ensuring Jack would be made aware his wife woke up.

"I'm sorry, honey, I didn't explain things properly earlier. Your husband is alive, and even if he is exhausted and extremely worried about you, he's fine. It's just that.. you're in quite a complicated situation, as far as your marriage goes, and we'd rather your memories come back on their own. However, you have to know you work in a top-secret facility, and you are duty-bound to secrecy. Furthermore, you are an officer in the United States Air Force, and you can't afford not keeping your private life, well, private. So please, please promise me, whatever you remember, don't talk about it with anybody else than General O'Neill or myself, alright?" Jacob pleaded.

Sam nodded her assent.

"Dad, did I get married in Vegas?"

"Yes sweetheart, you did," Jacob kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"It's just that... I've got a strange tingling sensation when you come next to me or when you touch me... you are really my father, aren't you? My instinct is giving me mixed signals..."

"I really am your Dad, Sammie. As far as the weird feeling goes, well, it's quite a long story, but I can certainly try to shed some light on the matter. You see, during your second year or so with the program, I..."

Jack and Janet crossed the threshold before Jacob could continue. After shooing both Generals out of her patient's room, the lady doctor examined Sam, and pronounced her ready to stretch her legs a little, under close supervision. She led her to the shower room and handed Sam a fresh set of clothing, comprising regulation underwear, black shirt and BDUs.

"The doc authorized me to talk to her about the Stargate. I heard her mentioning Selmak, maybe now would be a good time to start explaining a few things," Jack suggested.

Jacob offered Sam his arm as she and Janet re-entered the room, so as to walk her out of the infirmary; Janet's hand on his arm stopped Jack in his tracks before he could start after them.

"As soon as she exhibits any signs of fatigue or confusion, you bring her back here, one way or another, alright?"

"Yes Ma'am!" Jack gave the major-doctor a cheeky grin.

Sam was quite surprised seeing all the men saluting her as she walked past them in the corridors.

"Dad, I'm hungry," she said.

The trio made their way to the canteen, Jacob and Sam leading the way, followed by Jack who'd leisurely put his hands in his pockets. The mess was bursting to the seams with people and noise, but a complete silence quickly fell after they came in.

"Why are they all looking at us?" murmured Sam.

"Oh, they're probably looking at General O'Neill," Jacob replied; he was fully aware it was more Jack _and_ Sam's presence that quieted everyone – he'd already seen all the looks and heard all the mutterings within the couple's vicinity. They settled at a table, and Jacob fetched his daughter a tray full of her favorite dishes. Jack was keeping her company in the meantime, then served himself a cup of coffee.

"We do this quite often, don't we?" Sam asked.

"We do, every single morning," Jack kindly answered.

"How long have I been working in this facility for?"

"About nine years or so."

"That's why all this looks so familiar then..."

Jack and his father-in-law smiled at her. After she'd eaten her fill, Sam asked Jacob to take her wherever it was he wanted to go in the first place; and the three of them made their way up to the briefing room.


	17. Stargate

_Once again, I really want to thank Aliceanjee for her amazing work ! She provides you the perfect translation to my story ;) She's very involved and even with busy days at work, she always send me the chapter in time ! She's wonderful ! Enjoy :)_

* * *

**Chapter 17 – Stargate**

Sam could not see the 'Gate as the blast doors had been lowered. Jacob gave her a broad outline of the 'Gate's discovery in Egypt and of its part in the program, then he eventually told her of Selmak and Jolinar.

"I tried to kill the General, didn't I?" Sam asked.

Jacob and Jack both nodded as they remembered Jolinar taking over Sam's body to attempt an escape from the SGC. Jack did eventually raise the blast doors so that Sam could see the 'Gate below.

"The wormhole only opens one-way..." Sam mumbled, as she took in the great ring, kingly standing in its very own room.

"Sam? Are you remembering something?"

"Did I spend a lot of time near it?" Sam pointed at the 'Gate.

"Oh yeah, more than any of us!" Jack said.

Jacob sent him a weird glance.

"What? That's true, isn't it? She spent two years working on it before Daniel opened it... that's more than anyone else..."

Jack almost added "on Earth", but realised it probably was too much information. But it was true, and she did deserve to know.

"Carter, you're this thing's world specialist," Jack said instead, settling behind her.

He felt her shiver, even though he was barely brushing against her, and put a hand on her shoulder. Jacob discretely got up and left the room, wanting to let the couple have their moment.

"So, that's what we do here, underneath this mountain..."

"Among other things. We conduct scientific experiments, diplomatic missions, and a bunch of other stuff..."

"What about me? What do I actually do here?"

"For the first few years, Teal'c, Daniel, you and I used to go visit new planets to try and form alliances, or just even make contact, with other peoples throughout the galaxy.; we did unfortunately encounter a formidable enemy. Since you are an astrophysicist and a maths and engineering genius, your field expertise was invaluable; I had the best second-in-command of all the teams! Then I got promoted to Brigadier-General and took over the base, as Hammond got a promotion too, Lieutenant-General, heading Homeworld Security in DC. It was then your turn to lead SG1, and you were doing an excellent job, but Daniel decided to leave, so I had to disband the team. You've been working in your lab for the most part since then, and Teal'c accompanies other SG teams in their missions and brings back material for your research and experiences."

"Ah I see, that's why you're looking forward to seeing me recovered as quickly as possible."

"I do, but everybody here hopes for a swift recovery too!"

"What about you?"

"Me? I can't wait to get my 2IC back, just because you're the only one who puts up with my quirks here!" Jack laughed.

"There's something going on, between us I mean, isn't there?"

"Yes Sam," Jack answered.

The question had caught him off guard. Janet had advised he should talk about them, about their feelings. Jack however wanted to shout his love to her, to cry in her arms; he wanted her, so much, but that was all part of the strong emotions he could not, would not show for the moment.

He remembered when Daniel Ascended. He'd been unhappy, as never before. He did try to put up a good show when on base, but when he went home, he crumbled in Sam's embrace and wept. Sam had bit the bullet and comforted him even though she was not well either, but she did soldier on, for the both of them. He'd been cold and aloof afterwards, slightly ashamed of not having been able to keep it all inside. Jack loathed losing control, especially in front of his wife, who had the patience of a saint when it happened. She'd given in, and bore all the vexations and harsh sentences without a word. When that happened, she'd go home to her place, not theirs, at Jack's. He'd decided to join her one evening, and found her weeping on her bed. He'd thrown himself at her feet and begged her forgiveness; he'd promised Jacob he'd never hurt her again, but he couldn't help it. He offered her the option to leave him, and get her freedom back. Despite his secluded time on Edora two years before that Sam did never want to hear about ever again, she'd flatly refused to break up.

After that, Jack had been very careful of his actions, but he'd become very distant with her, even though they'd spend most of their nights together. Sam was hoping things would get better on their own, but she was wrong. He wasn't unpleasant with her, or indifferent, but he was very harsh on her during their missions. He was not as sweet and attentive as he used to be, and Sam had been deeply saddened by their lack of closeness.

Thus when Mark had organised a date with his friend Pete, Jack had advised her to step back and put things into perspective, as far as their marriage was concerned. She'd gone for coffee, but quickly left for their home, convinced she'd never love anybody else than Jack.

When he'd come home later, he'd found his wife in a sensuous lace négligé. He had feared for a moment she'd decide to leave him, and he knew he'd never forgive himself if he let her go with another man. Jack had been mightily relieved to find her there, and even more in this outfit. They'd renewed their wedding vows in their own way, for the whole night. Everything had finally come together, and Jack had been really afraid he might lose her. He'd realised his life would not be worth living without this extraordinary woman by his side. He'd made the decision to cherish her even more, for the rest of his life.


	18. BFFs

**Chapter 18 – BFFs**

"Sir, can you tell me how we met?" Sam asked, dragging Jack away from his daydream.

He unwittingly groaned as he was picturing his wife's body as it looked back then in his mind.

"D'ya want the formal version or the informal one?" he asked, prompting her to sit back down.

She instinctively chose her usual seat of the past nine years, and Jack finally understood the reasons behind her choice, as Sam could see the Stargate whence she sat.

"There are two versions? Which one do you think I'd prefer?"

"I know which one you like best..." Jack answered, smiling her favorite melting grin.

"The formal version is, I was standing over there," Jack said, indicating the seat at the other end of the table diagonally from her. "General Hammond had informed me I was going to have Sam Carter in my team; and of course I thought of a man and asked where he was transferring from..."

Sam chortled, anticipating what she'd said next.

"That's where you came from," he said, pointing to the room's side entrance. "And then you said '_She_ is transferring from the Pentagon'! It was a pleasant surprise."

"I see, this is the formal version then. What about the informal one?"

"We were on the seaside in the Hamptons, two years before that particular briefing. I'd been invited by your former instructor for the weekend. You had very long hair, and you wore a splendid bikini..."

"Turquoise-colored, wasn't it? And you had a leather bomber jacket on?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"I think I'm starting to remember that... I played pool against you, didn't I?"

"You did play, but not against me! I watched as you flattened a guy, and you actually came to blows just after!" Jack laughed.

"I told you I was good at making friends!"

"Yeah, best friends forever!"

"Is that what we are? Best friends forever?"

"Kinda..."

Sam was starting to ponder she'd been in love with him since then, but her feelings were not returned. She was probably too young and immature for a man like him, he he must be considering her as his younger sister, just like Daniel; that was all there was between them: brother-and-sister feelings.

"Sam, you're a little pale, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Sir, I'd just like to go back to bed if you don't mind."

Jack got up and offered Sam a helping hand to get up as well; his arm encircled her waist to brace her along the corridors to the infirmary.

Once he'd taken Sam back to her room, Janet asked Jack if she'd made any advances.

"Well, some memories resurface when we talk about something she knows, but I think it's going too slow otherwise."

"Hmmm, I think you're right... I'm wondering if she's maybe got a memory block somehow..."

"Because of Jolinar's memories?"

"I'm not actually sure, I hadn't thought about it. If she's better tomorrow, you can take her home though."

"Except she knows nothing of our life together..."

"In that case, we'll have to tell her, but a familiar environment will do her a world of good. Furthermore, if it can stimulate her brain without actually traumatizing her, you can even show her a few pictures."

Jack kept his fingers crossed hoping Janet's plans would come to fruition.

He fleetingly went home that evening so that he could have a shower and eat something else than the bland mess hall food; he also neatened the house, just in case he'd be able to spring Sam home the following day.

Life had been much easier since they only had one house instead of two. Sam had taken up off-base housing when she'd arrived, so that her address would not compromise them should a zealous civil servant look into her personal records. Over time, her house had been used as a front when they'd meet off-base with SG-1; but when Jack became the base CO and Daniel left the second property became redundant, and Jack had been more than happy to have his wife home with him full-time.

When he went back to the SGC later on, he found Sam and Jacob in earnest conversation. Jacob was obviously telling Sam about her mother, and his wife was falling apart. Jack inwardly groaned, as he loathed seeing her like this. Sam noticed him as he stepped over the threshold and wiped her eyes.

"Jack, Sam asked me to look after her tonight," Jacob tentatively said.

"I hope you don't mind, Sir."

"No, not at all. I'll work for a while then retire in the VIP quarters."

Sam's eyes widened, and Jacob explained what Jack actually meant.

"As he is the base commander, the general has access to quarters a bit more high-end than those of the other officers."

"That's because I have to spend much more time here than you explorers!" Jack said with a forced smile.

"Alright then, good night, Sir," Sam said, effectively dismissing her husband.

Jack said his goodbyes and left the infirmary with a heavy heart. He withdrew to his quarters and tried to get some shuteye, to no avail as his thoughts invariably turned back to Sam.


	19. Home

_I hope you'll enjoy this lovely chapter :)_

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**Chapter 19 – Home**

Jack had the time to take stock of his and Sam's decade-long married life; it'd been longer than his marriage to Sara and he'd been very much happier since he'd met Sam, except for the day of his son's birth. He'd reflected on painful memories today, but they'd weathered hard times just like they did missions: close-knit, relying on each other and their unwavering love. Jack was still sometimes hard-pressed to realize he'd spent this much time with her, and that he'd actually been extremely lucky to have been invited in the Hamptons; it'd been love at first sight for him, and apparently for her as well. And, even ten years later, they were still well matched in bed too! Jack smiled at the thought, then realized even if he did tell her they actually were married, she wouldn't remember this, at least not right away; he decided to try and win her back. He fell asleep late at night, with the firm belief that the following day would dawn much brighter.

He stopped by the mess hall after he awoke so as to prepare his wife's breakfast tray, and joined her in her recovery room. Janet had just finished Sam's routine check-up, and had confidently declared her fit to go home; Sam was delighted.

"Jacob, will you walk me out?" Janet requested, so as to leave the couple alone.

She closed the door behind them as Jack placed the tray on Sam's lap.

"Hi Carter, how's it going this morning?"

"Fine Sir, and you?"

"My bed is much comfier than this chair, but I had a hard time falling asleep."

Sam could see the sadness in his eyes, and realized she'd unwillingly hurt him.

"I'm sorry Sir, it's my fault," she stated, tearing up.

"No, 'twas mine. I should have gone against medical advice from the beginning, and tell you all about your husband."

"You're scaring me, Sir. My Dad assured me he was alive?!"

"He is... and he's right in front of you."

Sam scrutinized his face, looking to find a smidgeon of irony, or something else, but she saw no other thing than complete honesty.

"But... I thought that..."

"Carter, our marriage is secret, because it's still in violation of the UCMJ, and only a select few among our kith and kin know about it. I'll bring you to our home, and I'm hoping to stimulate your memories by looking at a few pictures."

Sam beamed at him, with her mega-watt Carter smile she reserved only for him. She'd thoroughly enjoyed hearing him talk of 'their' home.

"So I gather it's yours?" Sam asked, caressing her slightly-protruding baby bump.

Jack nodded, and got closer so as to rest his masculine hand on top of hers.

"Are we happy?"

"I like to think so," Jack answered with a genuine grin on his face, placing a tender kiss upon her brow.

Sam found him even more cute that way. Jack helped her to the bathroom, and Jacob quickly popped in to let them know he had to leave.

"Keep me posted, alright?" he admonished Jack, before bestowing Sam a fatherly kiss.

"Can we watch him go through the 'Gate?" Sam queried, curious to see the 'Gate in action.

Jack couldn't say no, especially with the puppy dog eyes she was sporting at that moment. They went down the the 'Gate room, and Sam was fascinated by the wormhole. She accompanied her father up the ramp, and stood in front of the blue puddle.

"My God. Look at this! I mean, the energy the 'Gate must release to create a stable wormhole is…it's astronomical to use exactly the right word! You can actually see the fluctuation in the event horizon!"

"Funny, you've already said this before!"

Sam bit her lip and lowered her head to hide her smile. The wormhole disconnected as soon as Jacob reached his destination.

"Come on Colonel, let's get you home!" Jack whispered, hooking her arm in his own.

Jack parked the car in front of their abode, and Sam peered at her surroundings as Jack unlocked the front door so as to let Sam in the house.

"Welcome home, my love."

Sam stared at him.

"What?" Jack hadn't realized how odd his choice of words must have seemed to Sam.

"Nothing, it's just... it's the first time you seem more... serene, and you've not used a term of endearment before either."

"Erm, yeah, sorry... we usually stick to protocol on base, but it's much more relaxed at home."

"Oh, please don't change anything, it'll just take some getting used to, I think!"

Jack left Sam to explore the house to her leisure, and ease herself back into their life. He prepared her tea which he placed on the coffee table, as Sam perused the pictures on the mantelpiece. As Daniel had two days earlier, she grasped their wedding picture and examined it closely.

"My Dad confirmed I got married in Vegas..."

"Yes ma'am!"

"Did we really do this? I thought it was the most cliché wedding locale ever!"

"That's true, but it's the only place in the US where you can get married in a hurry."

"Were we? In a hurry I mean?"

"Not really, but I had a hard time convincing you, so as soon as you caved I didn't want to let you go, ever."

Jack had approached his wife, and placed his hand on her soft cheek. Sam rested her smaller hand on her husband's stronger and warm one. He closed the distance between them and bestowed another kiss upon her brow. Sam quivered again at his nearness.

"Shall I run you a bath?" he asked, just after he let her go from his embrace.

"That would be wonderful," Sam replied, looking up. "How did you guess?"

"Well, you've been my wife for ten years already, I think I'm starting to know you better now!" Jack winked.

"Ten years! Holy Hannah! I didn't realize!" Sam blushed.

Jack gave her a soft laugh, and kissed the tip of her nose before taking care of filling the bathtub. Sam sipped her tea as she left her husband to manage the rest. After several minutes, he came back to take her to the bathroom and closed the door behind her, leaving her to her own devices.


	20. Bonding

_Did I mention I was very happy about all the reviews I had about this story ? _

_Of course, I must thank Aliceanjee for her great work, and all of you for reading/following/reviewing it ;)_

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**Chapter 20 – Bonding**

After she'd bathed, Jack had invited Sam to lie down for a while in their room while he'd taken care of mowing the lawn and tidying up his wife's much-loved flower beds. Sam left the bedroom, and found her bare-chested husband in the garden, sporting faded jeans and his usual sunglasses. She discreetly ogled Jack's perfect and tanned body, although marred by a few scars, but they only added to his oozing masculinity and sex-appeal; Sam wondered if he did actually realize it, and concluded he was probably aware of the effect he had on women in general, and her in particular. She surreptitiously glanced at his muscled back, her gaze resting on the small of it, and admired his flat stomach when he turned around. She felt disreputable thoughts swirl in her mind, and a vivid warmth made its way to her own stomach.

Sam was on the threshold of the French windows, her left hand shading her eyes from the sun. Jack turned his head toward her and waved with a large grin on his face. Sam was stunned by the seduction that emanated from the man, even though he was more than a decade older than she was. She waved back, and decided to bring him a cool beverage. She found diet sodas, and came to the conclusion they probably were hers, and a few beers. She took the top off a Guinness and brought it to her husband outside.

"Thanks Sam," Jack said, taking a large pull on his beer.

A drop of condensation ran down his chin, sliding along the column of his throat and the flat planes of his sculpted torso to eventually come to an end on the waistband of his jeans. Sam was biting her lower lip, mesmerized by the droplet's journey, and Jack looked at her knowingly. He decided against teasing her though, and pretended like nothing happened, as he didn't know whether she could bear his teasing yet.

As if she'd read his mind, Sam stated:

"Dad told me my husband is a bit of a joker..."

"Oh, Dad said that now did he? Really, a joker?" Jack answered, a little smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"Tell me something funny... just so that I can make up my mind!"

Jack looked at her through his sunglasses, and pulled on his Guinness once more.

"Let me finish this, and then we'll talk in the shade."

Sam smiled at him, then turned away to get inside the cooler house. Jack came in ten minutes later and found Sam curled up on the sofa with a heavy photo album on her lap. She looked at him and started getting up, just as if she'd been a guest caught red-handed.

"Don't move, it's okay. Which one do you have?" Jack queried, settling on the armrest next to Sam.

"Well I'm not sure, probably our first year of marriage?"

Jack looked closely at the picture and agreed.

"Yeah, that was in DC, just before we moved here."

Sam delicately sniffed, enjoying the masculine essence emanating from her husband. Jack made to move away, as he knew he was sweaty, but Sam put a hand on his forearm to keep him still.

"No, please don't go, I think it makes me recall some things..."

"Which ones?"

"I'm not sure, it's just feelings... just as if I were here, just behind the amnesia, knocking on the door."

Jack leaned closer again, and delicately pecked Sam's lips before getting up so as to go shower and change. Sam lightly passed her fingertips upon her mouth as Jack left the room; the kiss had been very pleasant, and her whole being was as if somewhat lost in a swirling ocean of confusing feelings. Jack came back and invited Sam to go outside as dusk was nearing and their garden furniture was in a shaded corner of the lawn, then picked another cold soda and beer from the fridge before joining her.

"So, have you thought about what you're going to tell me?"

"Well, I've got a couple ideas. Erm, let's get the universally shameful one out of the way first."

Sam laughed at hearing his few introductory words.

"So, when we met in the Hamptons, you actually took the first step. When we went for a walk on the beach, hand-in-hand, I had a surge of juvenile romanticism... I have no idea what I was thinking, but I asked you, if you had to chose between being blind or mute, which one would it be?" Jack nodded his head and smiled.

Sam remained silent, looking at him with wide eyes, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah, you didn't say anything either at the time. I did tell you that as far as I'm concerned I'd rather be mute because I wouldn't be able to contemplate your beautiful face were I to be blind."

Sam blushed timidly.

"Well, that's better, 'cause you answered at the time that my charm was all in my sense of humor so I'd be better off blind!"

Sam burst out laughing.

"This is so like me, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah, but you didn't stop at that... you also said it'd be a real shame were I to hide my beautiful eyes behind sunglasses for the rest of my life!"

"A jibe and a compliment all at once! I'm really proud!" Sam said, still laughing.

"But I'm not done yet... you also said that I should really, really, rethink my choice of eye-wear, 'cause these sunglasses were so not my style!"

Sam laughed even more.

"So what did you do, Jack?" she asked, finally using her husband's name for the first time.

"Well, I bought new sunglasses, aviator sunglasses, the following week. That's the ones I had when we met again in the Pentagon, and we've never been apart since!"

"Wow, it all boiled down to a pair of Ray-Bans!"


End file.
